You never met a hair color you didn’t love. You’ve done balayage, burgundy, rose gold and unicorn hair color. But what you don’t love is after investing time and money, your hair color doesn’t seem to last. There’s no denying that hair color does fade over time. But it’s also possible to stretch out the life of your hair color with certain strategies. Here are 10 ways to make your hair color last longer.

1. Tone it With Color Balancing Shampoos and ConditionersFading is one problem we face with our hair color. Yellowing or brassiness can be another. Now you can adjust the tone of your hair periodically at home. Use a purple shampooto eliminate yellowing if your hair is blonde or silver. Use a blue-violet shampoo to deposit pigments that will banish brassiness in your dark blonde and light brown highlights. Your pristine hair color will look better, longer.

2. Use a Shampoo For Colored HairShampooing your color treated hair is unavoidable, but it’s also the number one thing that causes your hair color to fade. The solution? Pick a gentle shampoo that’s made for color-treated hair. Look for formulas that are free of sulfates and salts—both of which can strip away hair color before its time. It should also be low pH, paraben-free, and moisturizing shampoo. Using a color protecting or color safe shampoo will help your hair color go the distance.3. Shampoo Less OftenSee above. Since shampooing leads to premature color fading, it makes sense that shampooing less frequently prolongs the life of your hair color. Fortunately, you have a few options aside from sporting dirty hair. You can stretch the period between shampoos with a dry shampoo, which will absorb oil and debris and freshen up your hair overall. Or, you could switch out your regular shampoo with a cleansing conditioner that’s low in detergents and free of sulfates, silicones and parabens. It will cleanse your hair and hair color gently.4. Moisturize Hair MoreDry hair is the enemy of hair color. If your hair is dry, it’s probably damaged. If your hair is damaged, it means the hair structure is out of alignment, which prevents the hair color from remaining within the hair shaft. Instead, the disrupted outer layer allows the hair dye molecules to slip away more easily every time you shampoo your hair. So moisturize your hair like crazy. Use a rich conditioner designed for color treated hair every time you shampoo. Indulge your thirsty hair with a big drink by using deep-conditioning hair masks for color-treated hair once or twice a week. You can even create a nighttime moisturizing hair treatment by working a hair treatment oil through your hair and securing it in a high topknot before bed.5. Hair Glaze ItA semi-permanent or demi-permanent hair glaze will help seal in your hair color, and at the same time, produce amazing hair shine. You can opt for a color glaze that will amplify or tone your hair color, or a clear hair glaze that will simply protect your hair. Hair glazes wash out after six or eight shampoos, so you should re-glaze every time you’re in the salon for a hair color touchup.6. Turn Down the Heat on HairThermal styling tools like blow dryers and hair styling irons open up the cuticle of your hair shaft, and when they do, bye-bye hair color. The hotter the hair tool, the faster your hair color may fade. If you have fine hair, your thermal tools should be set at a lower temperature regardless of whether you color your hair, and if you do color your hair, it’s a must. Thicker hair requires more heat from a hot tool, but try to keep the temperature as low as you can to achieve your blowout, curling or smoothing hair goals.7, Try Heatless HairstylesTo really give your hair color a break, skip the hair dryers and hair irons altogether. Your hair color will thank you, and so will the planet. Luckily, heatless hairstyles are all the rage right now. Simply apply a heatless hair styling cream to your damp hair, wind it into a bun, or into a few buns if your hair is thick, let it dry and bam! Beautiful, soft beach waves without heat.8. Stay Out of the PoolChlorine and other pool chemicals are also major buzzkills for hair color. It only takes one dip that turns your hair green for a blonde to stay out of the water forever! If you are committed to the benefits of regular laps (we know, it’s great cardio) take preventive measures. Before you dive in, first saturate your hair with water. This will prevent hair strands from soaking up the chlorine-laden pool water. Next, coat your hair with a thick hair serum, hair treatment oil or conditioning hair mask. Then cover it with a latex or silicone swim cap. Finally, when you’re done swimming, head directly to the shower and shampoo and condition your hair to remove any chlorine that may have attached itself to your hair.9. Use a Color Protector Hair SprayAnother way to prevent color-treated hair from losing its luster is to apply a leave-in, shine-enhancing sprayto damp hair before styling. It willpolish and illuminate your hair color. If your hair texture is thick or coarse, add more hair spray once you’ve styled your hair.